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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22634557">Lunch Break</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerfound/pseuds/dreamerfound'>dreamerfound</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel 616, West Coast Avengers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Getting to Know Each Other, Lunch, Sharing a Meal, Telepathy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:15:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22634557</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerfound/pseuds/dreamerfound</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Quentin is trying to get to know Gwen better, but she's not making it easy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen Poole/Quentin Quire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lunch Break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>*warning for adult language* </p>
<p>written for monthlysupergo on dw<br/>Feb 2020 Prompt Table #2 Meals: Lunch</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Come on, tell me about your world." Quentin had been trying to gain some insight on where Gwen had come from for the better part of lunch. She was weirdly cagey about the world she came from. </p>
<p>Of course, he would fall for a girl from a completely different dimension. Not that he'd completely fallen for her -- yet. He sighed and shoved a fry in his mouth. </p>
<p>Gwen ignored him and took another bite of her burger.</p>
<p>"Come on Poole, we've been - " He paused a moment, rethinking his usual bluntness.</p>
<p>"Fucking?" Gwen offered, helpfully.</p>
<p>Quentin laughed, so much for subtlety. "Sure, why not? We've been fucking for several weeks now, surely you can let me get to know you a little better."</p>
<p>Gwen put her burger down. "No super heroes, no aliens, no magic, no fun," she said, as she ticked each one off her fingers.</p>
<p>"No mutants?" He had to ask.</p>
<p>"Nope." Gwen shoved a french fry in her mouth. "It's super boring. Kind of like this world, but without all the fun stuff."</p>
<p>He shuddered. It sounded horrible. The boredom of this world was bad enough, he couldn't imagine a world that was all boring all the time. "So, you believe we're all fiction in your world?"</p>
<p>She shrugged. "Not sure about all -- but yeah -- super heroes are only real in comic books -- and movies but the movies mostly suck. The comics are way better."</p>
<p>"Am I in any of these stories?" </p>
<p>"Yup." She dipped a fry in ketchup and popped it into her mouth.</p>
<p>"Do I want to know?" </p>
<p>"Nope." Gwen shook her head, sending pink-tipped blond hair sliding across her cheeks. He reached out and tucked a wayward strand behind her ear. He kind of had to know now, didn't he? He slid into her mind. </p>
<p>He caught a glimpse of a younger, more vulnerable looking version of  Gwen flipping through the pages of a comic book. She sat alone on her bed, surrounded by comic books. On the page, there was an illustrated version of him, his pink mohawk making his identity obvious. The snarky attitude is painfully familiar. It’s like a scene straight out of his memories. His early days at the academy after he found out he was adopted. He withdrew with a gasp. That was -- uncanny and more than a little embarrassing. He had not been at his best back then. </p>
<p>"See, I told you," Gwen said. She didn't seem upset that he had just gone spelunking in her mind, so he stupidly dipped back in for another look.</p>
<p>Familiar faces stared back at him from the pages of a different comic book. Identities revealed, secrets shared; this was bizarre. He looked away from the book and focused on the girl. She seemed sad and much less full of life than the Gwen he knew -- was still getting to know.</p>
<p>He felt a sharp pain in his ankle. "Did you just kick me?"</p>
<p>"That's enough Gwenpool vision for you, thank you very much."</p>
<p>He rubbed his ankle. "You seemed sad."</p>
<p>She shrugged. "I told you - it was boring."</p>
<p>He could tell there was more to it than that. Boring was annoying but not usually sad. "What did you used to do? School? Work? Friends?"</p>
<p>"I failed to graduate high school, the few friends I had all moved away. They left me behind." Gwen paused to drag a french fry through the smear of ketchup on her plate. "I mostly escaped through comic books and video games. I tried the working thing but I wasn't very good at it and everything sucked. It was stupid."</p>
<p>"And then you ended up here somehow?"</p>
<p>"Yup. At first, it was like a dream come true but then my solo series was canceled and now I'm worried this team-up will get the ax too."</p>
<p>And that was where she lost him -- again. She related to this world -- his world -- as if it was a comic book. She treated it as if it wasn't real and that was dangerous - for her and everyone around her. Including him. </p>
<p>"Just because you first caught glimpses of this world through the pages of a comic book, doesn't mean this world is an actual comic book - or a series of comic books. We're not all constantly under threat of cancellation here."</p>
<p>"You would say that." </p>
<p>Quentin had no idea how to get through to her. He wasn't worried about the reality of his existence, he knew he was real.  That had never been in doubt. He wanted to help her but he could see that pushing her wasn't going to do anyone any good. He opened a little packet of mayonnaise and squeezed it out on his tray. He dipped one of his fries in it and took a bite.</p>
<p>Gwen made a face at him. "Ewww..."</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"You're one of those people."</p>
<p>"What people?"</p>
<p>"One of those freaky mayo dipping people."</p>
<p>He laughed. "And you're a disgusting ketchup heathen, what's your point?"</p>
<p>Gwen reached over and stole his box of fries. "I'm liberating these from your revolting wrongness."</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes and levitated a fresh box of fries from behind the counter. It was good to be awesome. He winked at Gwen and dipped a fresh fry in his mayo. He'd figure her story out eventually.</p>
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